New York woman sentenced for cheesecake murder plot

Viktoria Nasyrova (left) and Olga Tsvyk (right)

A Russian woman has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for attempting to kill her lookalike in a bizarre identity-theft plot in New York City.

Viktoria Nasyrova gave her beautician, Olga Tsvyk, a slice of poisoned cheesecake on 28 August 2016 before stealing her passport and work permit.

As she learned her fate, Nasyrova, 47, directed an expletive at the judge at the court in the borough of Queens.

A prosecutor called her a "ruthless and calculating con artist".

Nasyrova "is going to prison for a long time for trying to murder her way to personal profit and gain", Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said on Wednesday.

The jury heard that on the day of the attempted murder, Nasyrova went to Ms Tsvyk's house in Queens with a box of cheesecake - eating two pieces herself, and offering the third, poisoned slice to the then-35-year-old victim.

The eyelash stylist started to vomit and went to lie down. She suffered hallucinations and came close to having a heart attack.

Ms Tsvyk's friend found her unconscious the next day, her clothes changed to lacy lingerie and pills scattered around the floor as if she had tried to take her own life.

She was taken to hospital, and when she eventually returned home her Ukrainian passport and US work permit were missing as well as jewellery and about $4,000 (£3,300) in cash.

At the time, Ms Tsvyk and Nasyrova looked quite similar, with dark hair and the same skin complexion. They were both Russian speakers.

Phenazepam, a powerful sedative, was detected in remnants of the cheesecake, and the pills strewn on the floor were confirmed to be the same drug.

Nasyrova, who lived in Brooklyn, was convicted in February of attempted murder, assault and unlawful imprisonment.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder, according to the New York Post, described Nasyrova on Wednesday as "an extremely dangerous woman" who had concocted a "diabolical" scheme to prey on a friend.

She will be supervised by the court for five years after her release from prison.

Pills and cake containers were discovered at the victim's home

Ms Tsvyk was allowed to speak in court before the sentence was read.

"It was easy for her to steal. It was easy for her to kill," she said, according to the Post.

This was not the first time Nasyrova has landed in trouble with the law.

In 2015, Interpol issued a red notice for her arrest over the murder of a woman in Russia a year earlier. She is accused of killing her neighbour and stealing her life savings.

Nasyrova, who US media reports is a former dominatrix, has also been accused of drugging and robbing men she met on dating websites.

Her crimes - both alleged and convicted - were the subject of a documentary by CBS's investigative programme 48 Hours in 2017.